Trying Italy’s heel for size

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The extremes of Italy’s southern shores are full of unexpected treasures

THE first time I visited Puglia was by car, travelling the length of Italy in one exhausting July day. After miles of parasols on the bland beaches that flank the Autostrada Adriatica, the road turns inland across a vast plain, the landscape unfurling like a giant map dotted with towns and villages as far as you can see.

On the left, a distant hump denotes the mountainous Gargano peninsula; to the right is a far-off line of hills like a giant’s backbone. The red earth between is cultivated with olive groves and wheatfields.